The national average cost of a healthy diet (CoHD) for the first quarter of 2025 is GH¢15.11. According to regional statistics, the Western Region has the highest CoHD at GH¢21.29, while the Ahafo Region has the lowest CoHD at GH¢9.83. These figures represent the minimum amount an individual must spend on food to meet the national dietary guidelines.
In comparison, the national average CoHD for 2024 was GH¢12.29, an increase from GH¢10.70 in 2023. In 2024, the Western Region recorded the highest CoHD at GH¢17.75, followed closely by the Greater Accra Region at GH¢17.50. The Ahafo Region had the lowest CoHD in 2024, totalling GH¢9.17. Notably, in 2023, the Western North Region reported the minimum CoHD at GH¢8.20.
These findings were presented at a dissemination workshop organised by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) in Accra last Thursday. The one-day event also marked the launch of the latest MOFA bulletin series, titled “Cost of a Healthy Diet,” which offers valuable insights into access to healthy diets across the various regions of the country. This bulletin was developed with technical support from Tufts University in the United States.
Cost of a Healthy Diet
Ghana’s Food-Based Dietary Guidelines define what constitutes a healthy diet for Ghanaians. The concept of the Cost of a Healthy Diet (CoHD) examines the minimum expenditure required to meet the daily nutritional goals outlined in these guidelines. When individuals cannot afford the minimum CoHD, it indicates that they do not have sufficient access to food.
Eunice Arhin, a Deputy Director in the Statistics, Research, and Information Directorate of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), presented the findings of a recent study. She explained that the data was collected from retail price information gathered by MOFA from approximately 190 markets across the country. This data collection occurred weekly, and at the end of each month, regional averages were calculated to establish the monthly average price for each food commodity in different regions.
Ms. Arhin further elaborated on the findings, noting that the study identified which food groups contributed most to costs. Vegetables and animal-based foods were the highest contributors, while oils and fats made up the smallest cost share at just one percent. In terms of the least expensive items within each food group, starchy staples and white maize were the most affordable, followed by dried cassava chips (known as kokonte) and yellow maize.
For fruits, the frequently selected least priced items were fresh coconut, avocado pear and pawpaw, while the vegetable food group comprised alefu, carrot and kontomire. Animal source foods were made up of kako, salted dried tilapia, otherwise known as koobi, and mutton. “Within each food group, the items that are selected as least cost would vary depending on the cost, availability and region or location,” she explained.
Importance
On the importance of the data, she said the government could use it to set the minimum wage for workers. Similarly, when it comes to the school feeding programme, she said policymakers could use it as a guide to set how much could be allocated per person per day. A Co-Director, Food Prices for Nutrition at Tufts University, Dr Anna Herforth, said the project was designed to work within existing systems and, therefore, started with initial workshops in Ghana and Tanzania in 2016.
She said realising that data on more diverse foods would be needed for indicators about nutritious diets, the MOFA decided to pilot an expanded food list in early 2017. The acting Chief Director of MOFA, Paul Siameh, said a healthy diet was the foundation for a productive life, influencing everything from childhood development to the management of chronic diseases. However, he said many Ghanaians faced the challenge of accessing nutritious food, adding that the rising cost of healthy diet options posed a significant barrier, particularly for the vulnerable.
By: Augustina Tawiah
